Track or carrier for doors



(No Model.)

G; E. WITT. TRACK 0R CARRIER FOR nouns, &c.

No. 520,199. Patented May 22, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. \VITT, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

TRACK OR CARRIER FOR DOORS, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,199, dated May 22,1894. Application filed January 24,1894. Serial no. 497.909- N mod l.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E.WIIT, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Fresno, Fresno county, State of California, have invented anImprovement in Tracks and Carriers for Doors and other Purposes; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same.

My invention relates to a device for suspending sliding or travelingdoors or carriers, and for other similar purposes.

It consists in certain details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by referencetotheaccompanyingdrawings,inwhich Figure l is afront view of my invention, a portion being broken away showing theconstruction. Fig.2 is a cross section of the tube showing the pulleyand hanger. Fig. 3 shows the hanger with a transverse section of thesleeve. Fig. 4 is a view of one of the end brackets. Fig. 5 is a view ofthe intermediate bracket.

The object of my invention is to provide a device for suspending anytraveler which is intended to run from one point to another. It isapplicable to the suspension of car and other sliding doors, and alsofor transporting hay in barns, and for other similar purposes.

In the present case I have shown my device applied to sliding doors, butit will be manifest that the same arrangement will sustain any suspendedtraveler and allow it to move in the same manner.

A is the tube made of any suitable or desired diameter. It may be madeof gas pipe of suitable size, and it has a slot or channel B made in thelower side. This tube is suitably supported by brackets O, the end onesbeing closed, and the tube may be secured in place by caps or nutsscrewing upon these ends and outside of the end brackets, so that byremoving a cap the tube may he slid back and the interior rollersremoved. Intermediate brackets, through or beyond which the traveler isto pass, are slotted or channeled upon the lower side so as to allow thetraveler hangers to pass them. These intermediate brackets extend farenough around the tubes so as to give it the proper support at asuitable number of points, without interfering with the free movement ofthe hangers. In case of a sliding door, two end brackets,

and one or more intermediate slotted ones will be sufficient, but if thetraveler is to move a considerable distance,the supportin g device willbe correspondingly extended.

D D are the hangers to which the door or other suspended part E issecured. These hangers are in the form of plates of sufficient thicknessto give the required strength and at the same time to pass freely upthrough the slot B in the tube. Within the tube the ends of these platesare supported upon rollers F which travel within the tube and thussuspend the hangers and the load which they carry. These rollers aremade in the form of flattened spherical segments having a sulficientspace between their inner faces to ad mit the hanger plates, and acentral axle uniting them upon which the hanger plates rest. The outerfaces of these segments are flattened so as not to form contact with theinner sides of the tube and the edges where they approach the sides ofthe slot B are also made flat so that they do not travel upon this slot.The curvature between this straight portion and the outer faces, isessentially the same as the inner curvature of the tube, so that theserollers travel upon a curved surface which corresponds with the innersurface of the tube, and they thus run easily.

In the construction of the hanger plates, I have shown them with theupper part which is within the tube, having a slot made in them whichwill fit over the axles of the rollers, and this slot opens into acircular hole of such diameter that the rollers by being slipped downinto this opening can be easily removed and replaced, the whole openingresembling a keyhole.

In order to provide a sufficient bearing for the hangers so that theweight will not cause them to wear too rapidly upon the axles of therollers upon which they rest, I have shown these rollers chambered onthe inner sides and adapted to receive sleeves G which fit loosely uponthe axis, and form a bearing of considerable length which will wear veryslowly. The outer sides of the sleeves are flattened or maderectangular, so that the hanger slipping down over the flattened sides,holds the sleeves in the slot without turning, and the shafts of therollers will turn inside the sleeves. The tubular supportA fits looselyin the supportin g brackets 0 so thatit may be easily rotated, and thedoor or other device which is supported from the hanger may easily beturned from one side to the other as desired, because the tube willrotate by reason of the pressure of the hanger upon the side of the slotthrough which it passes, thus it it be a door which is intended to slidebackward and forward for the purpose of opening or closing, this doormay also be turned up into a horizontal or other angle, by lifting upits lower edge and the tubular support will turn around in thesupporting brackets to allow this motion of the door. The door may thusbe turned up so as to form an awning or shelter over the door opening,if desired, and in the same manner a hay fork or other carrier suspendedfrom this device may be allowed to swing more or less from side to sidewithout binding or cramping the movement of the rollers or hangerplates.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isa 1. The combination, with asuspendedtraveler having hangers provided with rollers, of a tube adapted to beturned axially and having its lower surface slotted to receive saidhangers, whereby said traveler may be caused to travel in the directionof the length of the tube and may be turned in planes transverse to suchmovement. 7

2. A track or carrier consisting of a slotted tube loosely mounted sothat it may be turned axially, hangers extending through the slot of thetube and adapted to support the weight to be carried, said hangershaving a slot for the reception of the axis of the rollers, and

an enlarged opening below and communicat hand.

GEORGE E. WI'IT. 'Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, S. H. NoURsE.

